Things to Do in Hampstead with Kids: The Complete Family Guide 2026

Hampstead and its Heath offer one of the best concentrations of family activities in London — open green space, free attractions, swimming, playgrounds, animals, and museums, all within a compact, walkable area. Whether you have toddlers or teenagers, this guide covers the best things to do in Hampstead with kids, in every season.

Key Takeaways

- Hampstead Heath is the single best free family resource in North London — 790 acres of space

- The Parliament Hill playground and paddling pool are the Heath's main family hubs

- [Golders Hill Park's free zoo](/blog/golders-hill-park-zoo-free-london-guide) is a 10-minute walk from the Heath

- The Heath's swimming ponds and lido offer summer family swimming

- Indoor wet-weather options: Burgh House, the Everyman Cinema, and local cafes

- Most of the best activities are free or very low cost

The Heath: A Family Playground

Hampstead Heath is the foundation of any family day in the area. Its 790 acres include woodland, meadows, ponds, hills, and several dedicated children's facilities. The two main family hubs are at Parliament Hill (south side) and Golders Hill Park (northwest corner).

Parliament Hill Playground

The adventure playground at Parliament Hill Fields is the Heath's main children's play area: climbing structures, swings, slides, a sandpit, and equipment suited to ages 2–12. It is enclosed and supervised during peak times. Adjacent is a paddling pool (open late May to September) and a café for parental coffee.

The hill itself — Parliament Hill — is a destination in its own right: the climb to the top rewards children with one of London's best views and, on windy days, some of the city's best kite flying. The grassy slopes are ideal for rolling, running, and picnics.

Golders Hill Park

A 15-minute walk northwest brings you to Golders Hill Park and its free zoo — flamingos, deer, meerkats, and wallabies, all free to visit. The park also has a children's paddling pool, a play area, and formal gardens. For families, this is one of the best free days out in London.

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Rebecca Hall, a mother of two from Kentish Town, has brought her children to the Heath "every single week for six years." "When they were tiny it was the playground and the paddling pool," she said. "Now they're older it's the swimming ponds, kite flying on Parliament Hill, and the zoo at Golders Hill. The Heath has grown with them. And it's all free, which when you have two children in London is not a small thing. I genuinely don't know what we'd do without it."

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Swimming with Children

Parliament Hill Lido

The Parliament Hill Lido is a heated (well, unheated but managed) Art Deco outdoor pool with a shallow end and a separate children's paddling area. Open year-round for serious swimmers; the family season runs late spring to early autumn. The lido is the most family-friendly of the Heath's swimming options.

The Mixed Pond

The Mixed Bathing Pond opens in late spring and is suitable for confident older children and teenagers swimming with a parent. The Men's and Ladies' ponds have age restrictions; the Mixed Pond is the family option.

A note on the ponds: they are natural open water and require swimming competence. For younger children, the lido's controlled environment is the better choice.

Animals and Nature

Beyond the Golders Hill zoo, the Heath offers genuine wildlife encounters:

• Birdwatching: The Heath's ponds and woodland support herons, kingfishers, woodpeckers, and a range of waterfowl. A simple "how many birds can you spot" activity engages younger children. See the birdwatching guide.
• Pond dipping: The educational pond at the Heath (near the Education Centre) is set up for supervised pond dipping during organised events.
• Ancient trees: The Heath's ancient trees — some over 400 years old — are impressive to children when their age and size are explained.

Indoor and Wet-Weather Options

London weather requires a backup plan. Hampstead's indoor family options include:

Burgh House

Burgh House on New End Square has a local history museum, a family-friendly café (the Buttery), and a programme of family activities during school holidays. Free entry. A good rainy-afternoon option.

The Everyman Cinema

The Everyman Cinema on Holly Bush Vale shows family films, particularly during school holidays and at weekend morning kids' screenings. The sofa seating makes it a comfortable family cinema experience.

Hampstead Cafes

Many Hampstead cafes are genuinely child-friendly. The Heath's own cafes (Parliament Hill, the Lakeside Café, Golders Hill Park café) are used to families and have outdoor space, high chairs, and child-friendly menus.

Seasonal Highlights

Spring: Wildflowers on the Heath, lambs (occasionally) and new animals at Golders Hill, the paddling pools reopening in late May.

Summer: Swimming, the kite festival, picnics, the bandstand concerts at Golders Hill, long evenings on Parliament Hill.

Autumn: Conker collecting under the Heath's horse chestnuts, the Golders Hill apple harvest, kite flying in the autumn winds, the deer rut at the zoo.

Winter: Frost and (occasionally) snow on the Heath for sledging on Parliament Hill, the Kenwood Christmas Market, and cosy indoor cafe afternoons.

A Family Day Plan

Morning: Arrive at Hampstead or Gospel Oak station. Walk to Parliament Hill Fields. Playground and paddling pool (summer) or hill walk and kite flying (other seasons).

Midday: Lunch at the Parliament Hill café or a Heath picnic.

Afternoon: Walk across the Heath to Golders Hill Park. Visit the free zoo — flamingos, meerkats, deer. Play area and paddling pool if open.

Late afternoon: Café stop at Golders Hill. Walk to Golders Green station for the journey home, or back across the Heath to Hampstead.

This plan costs only food and travel, occupies a full day, and works for a wide age range. It is, by a considerable margin, the best-value family day out in North London.

Practical Tips

• Buggies: The Heath's main paths are buggy-friendly, though some woodland routes are rough. Parliament Hill and Golders Hill are both fully accessible.
• Toilets: Available at Parliament Hill, Golders Hill Park, and the lido. Carry supplies for the woodland sections where facilities are sparse.
• Picnics: The Heath is ideal for picnics — bring a rug. The cafes are good but a picnic is cheaper and lets you stay on the grass.
• Weather: Layer up; the Heath is exposed and noticeably cooler and windier than the surrounding streets, especially on the hills.
• Free vs. paid: Almost everything genuinely good for families on the Heath is free. Budget only for cafes, the lido, and any cinema or museum extras.

Hampstead with children is, fundamentally, about the Heath — a vast, free, varied landscape that offers more genuine play, exploration, and discovery than any paid attraction in London. Add the free zoo at Golders Hill, summer swimming, and the indoor backups for wet days, and you have a family destination that rewards repeat visits across every season and every stage of childhood.